Center of Excellence for Land, Water and Resources Management

The College of Agriculture at Tennessee State University (TSU) will collaborate with Alabama A&M University, Southern University, Florida A&M University, and Langston University to host The 1 890 Center of Excellence for Land, Water and Resource Management (COE-LWRM). The COE-LWRM will be housed in the Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (IAGER) at Tennessee State University.

The COE-LWRM’s primary goals and thrust areas are, 1) Natural Resource Management, Conservation and Forest Health, 2) Precision Agriculture and Artificial Intelligence (AI), 3) Ecosystem Health and Water Quality, and 4) Workforce Training and Development.

These four multi-disciplinary thurst areas  will coordinate and unify participants via scholarly research, teaching , and Extension activities, and provide collaborative opportunities among 1890 institutions to tackle contemporary environmental issues that impact terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We will take a One Health approach to evaluate the collective impacts of environmental change, land-use patterns , and water resource availability on ecosystem  integrity .

The 1890 Center of Excellence in Land, Water and Resources management (COE-LWRM) at Tennessee State University is partnered with following Institutions.

• Alabama A&M University
• Florida A&M University
• Fort Valley State University
• Langston University 
• Lincoln University
• Prairie View A&M University
• Southern University
• University of Maryland Easter Shore

Announcements

Summer Internship Opportunities – COE-LWRM

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The RANGE Summer Research Experience is a four-week residential program for motivated high school students interested in agriculture, environmental science, natural resource management, and STEM careers. Participants conduct mentored research, take field excursions, and present their final work at a summer research symposium.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

The Research and Applied Natural Resource Growth Experience (RANGE) is a 4-week residential summer research program hosted by the Tennessee State University College of Agriculture as part of the Center of Excellence for Land, Water, and Resource Management (COE-LWRM). Supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Centers of Excellence at 1890 Institutions Program, RANGE provides rising high school juniors and seniors with hands-on training in environmental science, agriculture, natural resource management, and emerging technologies that drive sustainable ecosystems. RANGE students engage in immersive research guided by faculty from TSU.

Participants explore research areas including:
• Soil health and carbon dynamics
• Water-quality monitoring and watershed resilience
• Land-use change, erosion control, and habitat restoration
• Forest and wetland health and biodiversity
• Precision agriculture, drones, sensor networks, and decision-support systems

Students live on campus, conduct supervised research, attend workshops, tour field sites, and present their work at a research symposium.

Dates: June 14 – July 10, 2026
Location: Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors, minimum 3.0 GPA
Cost: Fully funded (housing, meals, supplies included)
Application Deadline: February 28, 2026

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:
• Be a rising high school junior or senior or recent high school graduate (entering 11th or 12th grade in Fall 2026 or high school class of 2026)
• Have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA
• Demonstrate interest in agriculture, natural resources, environmental science, ecology, or related STEM fields
• Commit to full participation from June 14 – July 10, 2026

1. Online application form
2. Official or unofficial transcript
3. Career Interest Essay (~ 500 words)
4. One of recommendations (STEM teacher preferred)
5. School counselor endorsement form
6. Parent/guardian consent

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be evaluated on:
• Academic performance
• Essay quality
• Demonstrated interest in STEM and natural resource fields
• Strength of recommendations
• Commitment to full participation

Program Expectations

Selected students must:
• Attend all classes, workshops, labs, and field activities
• Reside on campus for the full duration
• Present their research at the final symposium
• Follow all TSU and program policies

Applications are now open. Required Application Materials Due February 28, 2026:

APPLY NOW

Download the required forms. 

1. Parent Consent Form

2. Counselor Endorsement Form

Graduate Student Research Opportunities – COE-LWRM

The Center of Excellence for Land, Water, and Resource Management (COE-LWRM) at Tennessee State University is pleased to announce the recruitment of student researchers for the upcoming academic terms. COE-LWRM supports interdisciplinary training and research aligned with its three core thrust areas.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs)

• Total Positions: 15

• Level: Masters

• Focus Areas: Aligned with the three COE-LWRM thrust areas

• Application Status:

  • Spring 2026 applications are now closed

  • Future-term opportunities will be announced as they become available

Graduate Research Assistants are expected to engage in funded research projects, contribute to publications and presentations, and work closely with faculty mentors.

Undergraduate Work-Aid Positions

• Total Positions: 15

• Level: Undergraduate students

• Focus Areas: Research, fieldwork, data collection, laboratory support, and outreach activities aligned with COE-LWRM thrust areas

• Application Status:

  • Recruitment is ongoing and positions are filled on a rolling basis

Undergraduate Work-Aid positions provide hands-on research experience and professional development opportunities while supporting ongoing COE-LWRM projects.

For additional details regarding eligibility, expectations, and application procedures, please refer to the COE-LWRM website or contact the Center directly.

For more information click here.

Latest Updates

Our Goals

1. Natural Resources Management, Conservation and improve Forest Health

2. Precision Agriculture and use of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture

3. Ecosystem Health and Water Quality

4. Workforce Training and Development

Natural Resources Management,  Conservation and Forest Health

Coordinators/Thurst Area Leaders – Dr. William Sutton and Dr. Yong Wang

• Dr. Bharat Pokharel: Predictive Mapping of Plant Species as an Indicator of Forest Ecosystem Health
• Dr. William Sutton, Dr. Yong Wang (AAMU), and Dr. Xiongwen Chen (AAMU): Forest and Wildlife Responses to Forest Management and Forest Structure and Vegetation Dynamics
• Dr. Lucy Ngatia and Dr. Alfredo Lorenzo: Forest management impacts on carbon and nutrient turnover rates in hurricane-affected ecosystems under evolving environmental conditions
• Dr. Yong Wang (AAMU), and Dr. Xiongwen Chen (AAMU): Estimation and modeling of forest carbon storage dynamics disturbed with prescribed and forest thinning
• Dr. Sarah Neumann: Forest Ecology and plant-soil feedbacks as a mechanism for shaping community composition, structure and productivity of temperate and tropical forests

Precision Agriculture and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Coordinators/Thurst Area Leader: Dr. Chandra Reddy

Canola: Lead Scientist - Dr. Jason de Koff

Sweet Sorghum: Lead Scientist - Dr. Ahmad Aziz

Switch Grass: Lead Scientists - Dr. Dafeng Hui

Precision Agriculture: Lead Scientist - Dr. Clement Akumu

Crop Nutrition: Lead Scientist - Dr. Dharma Pitchay

Crop Adaptation: Lead Scientist - Dr. Mathew Blair

Livestock Adaptation: Lead Scientist - Dr. Richard Browning

Precision and autonomous agricultural machinery, AI, ML - Dr. Chenchen Kang

Aquaculture Adaptation: Lead Scientists - Dr. Malcolm McCallum (Langston) and Dr. Kamal Gosh (Langston)

Small Ruminant Genomics and AI - Dr. Zaira Estrada Reyes (PVAMU)

Forages/Small Ruminant Parasite Control and AI/ML- Lead Scientists - Dr. Thomas Terril (FVSU) and Dr. Aftab Siddique (FVSU)

Ecosystem Health and Water Quality

Coordinators/Thurst Area Leader: Dr. De’Etra Young and Dr. Zhu Ning

Soil Organic Matter, Soil Health, Carbon Sequestration and Soil Science- Lead Scientists - Dr. Jianwei Li, Dr. Sougatha Bardhan and Dr. Resham Thapa

Soil Physics, Hydro Geo-Physics, Soil Water Dynamics in Agriculture systems - Lead Scientist - Dr. Felix Ogunmokun

Root Systems Biology and interactions between plant roots, soils, and symbiotic soil microbes - Lead Scientists - Dr. Jonatha R Crummings (UMES), and Dr. Xuefeng Li (UMES)

Impact of Urban Forests for Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Reduction – Lead Scientist – Dr. Zhu Ning (Southern University)

Prediction, early reporting, and impacts of Harmful Algal Blooms - Lead Scientist - Dr. Tom Byl

Environmental Change and its Impacts to Water Quality and Quantity - Lead Scientist - Dr. Yaw Twumasi (Southern University)

Geospatial Analysis and Bioremediation: Lead Scientist - Dr. Reginald Archer

Soil Contamination: Lead Scientist - Dr. Sudipta Rakshit